Thursday, February 8, 2007

Lottie slept through the night again, although a little less soundly , but slept until about 8:00 this morning. It is fun to watch her wake up to the world around her each morning. She takes a little while to wake up good. She snuggled on mommy’s chest. Mommy enjoyed feeling her heart beating next to hers. This was a special moment for mommy and daughter. A long awaited moment. But well worth the wait!!! We hurried down to the breakfast buffet for a quick meal before loading up on the bus for a trip to the zoo. It was another beautiful day here in Guangzhou with temperatures of about 75 and a slight breeze. A great day for a walk through the zoo!!!

Lottie enjoyed the zoo. There were many animals that could be seen up close. There were lions, and tigers and bears…… oh my!!!!!! Yes, there really were , as well as rhinos, giraffes, zebras, hippos, chimps, elephants, camels, flamingos, and even a Panda. There was an especially friendly chimp who wanted to have his picture taken with the family :). Lottie enjoyed this and even reached out to touch him. Our guide said she will probably really like animals as she is not scared of them . She was born in the Chinese year of the dog. Graham and Noah … it looks like Lottie may join you in your campaign for a puppy. The zoo was a nice park like setting in the middle of this big city and made a nice setting for a leisurely stroll. We left the zoo and headed to Pizza Hut!!!! The pizza was delicious!!! We’re not sure if it was the best pizza ever or if it was just not Chinese!!! Lottie fell asleep on the bus and slept through lunch. This was her morning nap. We returned to the room for an afternoon nap. This evening we had three of the other families in our group to come to our room and hang out and let the girls play together. They enjoyed this. They each were doing their own thing side by side until one would want something the other might have , like a French fry from McDonalds!!! We decided if they got in a tug of war over something , Lottie is at a slight disadvantage being the peanut of the group. She might be small, but she is mighty!!! We have enjoyed getting to know some of the other families in our group and hearing their stories and sharing this journey with them . After loading the text and pictures for this website tonight we will pack in preparation for our trip tomorrow. We will leave at 10:00 in the morning to travel to Dianbai . This is where Lottie’s orphanage is located. We will meet the director of the orphanage at 2:30 and be able to see a little of where Lottie spent most of her first year of life. We are very grateful for the care she received at the orphanage. We can tell she got attention as she is very attentive and curious as well as her motor skills are quite good. We are glad to be able to show our appreciation to the orphanage staff and nannies. We will get a hotel room for the night there in Dianbai. We will go to the beach Saturday morning and then head back to Guangzhou. We will have a little difficulty communicating as we have a driver who speaks very little English . We were not able to secure a guide for the trip as it is very close to Chinese New Year and folks are leaving town for vacation. Very few if any in Dianbai will be able to speak English. We will take our Mandarin /English dictionary , although most people in the Guangdong province speak Cantonese, but should also be able to communicate in Mandarin as well. It will be an adventure for sure. But we have never shied away from an adventure before!!!!!We look forward to telling you of our overnight venture upon our return. We will most likely not be able to communicate with you again until we get back. Keep us in your prayers and thanks so much for all of your comments in our guest book. They mean soooo much!!!!

It is wonderful hearing from our great support system of family and friends!!! Goodnight from China!!!! Much Love to ALL!!!!